The increasing attention given to China's affairs in this country, of which I have written in previous letters, continues. Articles on China, on American interests there, and on the whole problem in the Far East are to be found in the magazines of almost any month.
Further than that there seems to be good reason for believing that the United States has informally joined hands with Englind in adopting a definite policy in regard to China's future. It looks as if both countries would work strongly and harmoniously for the maintenance of the "open door," but that if they find this impossible of achievement they will agree on some scheme of partition.
When France, Germany, and Russia reached out to take slices of China, the United States served notice that they had rights that must not be encroached up. and that there should be no abridgemen! of our rights and privileges in, the treaty ports of China, by reason of the territory passing into the sphere of influence of any foreign Power. Verbal assurances were given that the permanency of our enjoyment of these rights should not be threatened.
Secretary Hay has deemed it better that these assurances should be put in written form. Therefore our ambassadors France, Germany, and Russia, have been instructed to take steps for the procurement of written agreement securing the permaneney of our rights in the Chinese ports which this Government requires.
There has been an apparent reluctance on the part of the Powers to put this agreement into definite written form, and while there has riot yet been a formal proposition of the sort made, it is understood that these Powers will propose that, lusted of an agreement for a permanent " open door" to China, the United States consent to a partition into spheres of influence, itself establishing a sphere, each Power then being free to do as it pleases within its own sphere.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.